Mother’s Day is just around the corner and if a new car is on the wish list, there are many choices from which to select the perfect one. Whether she is a mother with young children or teens, has an outdoorsy or sporty personality, or an empty nester dreaming of retirement, we have test-based recommendations on good, safe, and reliable new cars. New moms All mothers naturally place a priority on safety, but new moms also need plenty of cargo room to fit all the baby gear. A small SUV can be the ideal choice for carting around your new bundle of joy. Their elevated height means easy-on-your-back installation of the baby seat. The Honda CR-V , Subaru Forester , and Toyota RAV4 all score well in Consumer Reports tests and have excellent safety scores and reliability. Plus, they deliver relatively decent fuel economy. Environmental moms If you’re looking for a fuel-efficient vehicle, it’s hard to top the Toyota Prius . It has an average fuel economy of 44 mpg overall, roomy interior, and excellent reliability. However, if you need something a little larger, the Prius V wagon adds even more second-row and cargo space, while delivering a still-excellent 41 mpg overall. Sporty moms Moms who want a sporty ride, but still need a backseat to tote kids around, may want to look at the BMW X3 , Volkswagen Tiguan ; sporty wagons such as the Acura TSX or Audi A4 ; or a hot hatch like the Volkswagen GTI . All are relatively practical, deliver good acceleration, braking, and handling and are fun to drive. Adventurous moms With the warmer weather here and more opportunity for fun in the sun, moms who like to spend time outdoors will need a car that can fit items such as bikes, camping equipment, and beach gear. The Subaru Outback is a rugged wagon with generous cargo space, plus good fuel economy. If mom likes to hit the trails or tow recreational toys, the powerful-and-refined Jeep Grand Cherokee can handle some off-roading adventures, too. Empty-nester moms If the mom in your life now has time for herself, a sedan a good choice for everyday outings, vacations, and trips to see the grandkids. The Toyota Camry is comfortable and refined, with a nice interior. Fuel economy is excellent at 27 mpg for the four-cylinder. For more space, consider the roomy...

Lexus lost its sales crown to BMW last year, after a 11 year run at the top. The decline in sales is thanks to a lineup that has largely been stagnant over the last few years. Clearly, Lexus was coasting. Under new pressure to perform, Lexus has been putting a renewed effort into its products. The rear-wheel drive 2013 Lexus GS was developed with a directive from Chief Executive Officer Akio Toyoda to advance Lexus styling and be fun to drive. Most who have tested it so far say it largely lives up to that. The interior is gorgeous and the exterior more engaging than any GS before it. The GS was the first Lexus to debut the spindle grille, which has now been spread across the lineup. It is indeed polarizing, something that is a stark change for Lexus. Lexus, polarizing? Different need. Via Automotive News , Lexus Kazuo Ohara senior managing officer says polarizing is the whole point. “What we want more than anything in this rebirth is for unity among our Lexus lineup…a design that anyone and everyone likes is boring.” The effort includes a unified styling theme across the lineup, much like Audi (to the extreme), BMW and Mercedes-Benz have done. Toyota has given Lexus more autonomy in development as well as streamlining the approval process. Toyoda rejected three design proposals for the GS, and the team that used to exhaustively vet each new car has reportedly been “cut by half.” Lexus hopes its revamp will help it keep more of its customers in the fold. Currently it retains about 70 percent of its buyers, a figure that is less than BMW and Mercedes- Benz. The new Lexus is looking a lot better to us. The next-generation IS should be a really impressive car. The current one is the lone Lexus product we’ve loved, and the next one is going to be based on the FR-S platform. Yes, times are a changing at Lexus – and not a moment too soon. No related posts. Automoblog.net – A Car Blog for Auto Enthusiasts More here:  2013 Lexus GS Heralds New Era At Lexus

Another plug-in related fire is bad news for the plug-in revolution. OK. It’s not dead, but the plug-in revolution is on life support I have one metric in life when it comes to transportation. OK. It’s one metric, but it’s split into two parts. The basic metric — the main part — is simply US foreign oil independence, but the critical first part is OPEC independence, ASAP. If biodiesel can make that happen, I’m in. Batteries, I’m in. Natural gas, etc., I’m in. Ultimately, I don’t care which technology makes it happen, only that it happen. However, one thing is clear. If ending OPEC dependence is dependent upon plug-ins, oil companies can bank on some huge profits over the next few decades because the plug-in revolution is barely alive. And the recent Fisker Karma fire is about to cause even further asphyxiation. Before I go any further; however, let me make one thing clear: Electrification is the future of the automobile, and electrification already makes far more sense than most believe, today. The problem is, consumers don’t make sense. We never have, and we probably never will. In a nutshell, American consumerism is self-destructive. It has been for decades. And it might continue to be forever. Honestly, small electric cars make a ton of sense if all factors were honestly considered. But, today, the same small cars that would make electric cars viable would also wipe out OPEC– as well as huge chunks of overall foreign oil dependence — if the norm today using only ICE at a far cheaper cost than electric ones, at least upfront. Again, it’s not that electric cars don’t make sense. It’s consumers that don’t make sense, and decades of senselessness simply aren’t overturned overnight. Did a Fisker Karma plug-in cause a house fire? No one cares. The association is all that matters, especially before an audience that is already extremely skeptical of plug-ins, that is already mostly nonsensical. The plug-in revolution isn’t dead, but for all intents and purposes — if foreign oil dependence is your metric — plug-ins are dead. Outside of personal foreign oil independence, plug-ins have little to offer. After more than a decade on the market, even hybrid...

What It Is: The most practical body style for the next-generation A3, which we expect eventually will be sold here alongside the sedan . We recently rode with Audi’s R&D chief in his personal 2013 A3 three-door—a configuration we won’t see—which is shorter overall and has a slightly tidier wheelbase than this forthcoming, more-comfort-oriented five-door. Our impressions from the shotgun seat were positive, which bodes well for all A3 variants. (more…) See the original post here: 2014 Audi A3 Sportback Five-Door Rendered: No Official Confirmation, But We Expect It Here View original here:  2014 Audi A3 Sportback Five-Door Rendered: No Official Confirmation, But We Expect It Here

Long stretches of desert highway seem perfect for speedy driving. Or they must have for one Emirati woman, who racked up 80 speeding tickets totaling 127,000 dirhams ($35,000) commuting back and forth between the United Arab Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. More » See original here: Dubai Woman Gets $35,000 In Traffic Tickets In Six Months [Car Crime] More: Dubai Woman Gets $35,000 In Traffic Tickets In Six Months [Car Crime]

Fisker’s hybrid-electric Karma is being blamed for a house fire in Sugar Land, Texas that occurred last week. Three minutes after the owner pulled into his garage, his electric luxury sedan burst into flames , torching his two other cars and a sizable chunk of his house. More » Read the original: Brand New Fisker Karma Blamed For House Fire [Car-B-Que] View original here:  Brand New Fisker Karma Blamed For House Fire [Car-B-Que]

Hit play for an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note, and then share your guesses or get a few hints from other visitors in the comments below. Be sure to check back on Thursday for the answer! See more here: Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 135 Go here to see the original: Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 135

Averaging 84.1 miles per gallon, John and Helen Taylor drove a stock, manual 2012 Passat TDI from Houston, TX to Sterling, VA on one tank of diesel. It took them three days and 1,626.1 miles, but they set a new fuel economy world record. More » Read the original: Stock Volkswagen Diesel Goes 1626.1 Miles On Single Tank Of Fuel [I Feel Gassy] Read more from the original source: Stock Volkswagen Diesel Goes 1626.1 Miles On Single Tank Of Fuel [I Feel Gassy]

In a refreshing change, there are stoning victims in Saudi Arabi that aren’t accused adulteresses or even people at all: they’re cars. And, even better, it’s not the scary kind of stoning, or the drug kind of stoning, either. It’s a recent and weird Saudi car culture trend of cramming stones under cars to raise them up and build them into funny little stone walls. More » See the original post: Why Are Saudis Stoning Their Cars? [Car Art] Read the original post: Why Are Saudis Stoning Their Cars? [Car Art]

What It Is: The rear-wheel-drive Scion FR-S will be offered in softtop convertible form, we’ve learned, confirming recent rumors. (The images you see here are renderings.) Unlike the Fast and Furious –ized FR-S roadster that an aftermarket tuner recently showed in California, the production FR-S convertible should retain its rear seats. (more…) Original post: Scion FR-S Convertible Confirmed, Rendered; Other Rear-Drive Models Under Study Here is the original post:  Scion FR-S Convertible Confirmed, Rendered; Other Rear-Drive Models Under Study

When the driver in the silver Mustang on the left slides into the other guy’s lane, cuts back, and loses traction again, he puts his foot back to the floor and wins the race. With $8,500 up for grabs, you don’t lift. More » Continued here:  Watch The Greatest Drag Racing Comeback Victory We’ve Ever Seen [Video] See more here:  Watch The Greatest Drag Racing Comeback Victory We’ve Ever Seen [Video]

Don’t try to make sense of the Aston Martin V-8 Vantage roadster. It’s impractical, a joke of a value, no more powerful than at least a dozen less-expensive sports cars, and the same ergonomic disaster it was before its 2012 (make that 2012.25 , according to Aston) refresh. And yet we yearn for it. (more…) Original post: 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster First Drive: Improved, for the Most Part Read more: 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster First Drive: Improved, for the Most Part

We recently confirmed that we won’t be seeing a turbocharged Subaru BRZ anytime soon; however, we now have a fairly good idea of what kind of power such a model will eventually bring. Subaru has dropped the first turbocharged variant of its 2.0-liter, FA-series flat-four engine—the naturally aspirated version of which powers the BRZ and its Toyota/Scion brethren—into the refreshed Japanese-market Legacy sedan and wagon. Here is the original post: Turbo Version of Subaru BRZ’s FA-Series Engine Debuts in Japanese Legacy, Will Power Next WRX Here is the original:  Turbo Version of Subaru BRZ’s FA-Series Engine Debuts in Japanese Legacy, Will Power Next WRX

When Audi showed the 2013 A8 3.0T at the Detroit auto show, it claimed the 333-hp, supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 that replaced the 372-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 would achieve better fuel economy. And what would the gain be? Well, according to the EPA, there isn’t a gain. More: 2013 Audi A8 3.0T EPA Numbers: Same as the Outgoing V-8’s More: 2013 Audi A8 3.0T EPA Numbers: Same as the Outgoing V-8’s

Another month, more headlines blaring profit news and sales records. And still more cautious pessimism from this writer. It’s not that a bubble burst is coming; It’s likely we’re still seeing purchases that, for economic reasons, people delayed making during the past few years. Analysts warning of another spike in gas prices for the “summer driving season” may be pumping up demand for new, more-fuel-efficient cars. Below, we look at Chevy’s foray into the rear-drive police-car arena, pains at Mazda, the latest installment of General Hospital: Fiat/Chrysler Edition, and take a trip to Canada. See the original post here: April 2012 Sales: What the Headlines Don’t Tell You Read more from the original source: April 2012 Sales: What the Headlines Don’t Tell You